The Sunday night ADISQ Gala on Oct. 27, 2019, made Québec music history, when Florent Vollant earned the very first Indigenous Artist of the Year Félix award. Recently, during the 2019 SOCAN Awards Gala in Montréal, he also won the very first SOCAN Classic Award presented to an Indigenous artist, for the song “E Uassiuian,” by his former band Kashtin. Vollant believes the time is right to fully integrate Indigenous artists in these celebrations of music. He sees this display of openness as a challenge for the Indigenous community. We met with him in the Gala press room after he accepted his trophy, and he spoke with us about the making his latest album, Mishta Meshkenu and how blessed he feels that his music travels the world.
Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard
Apply now for SOCAN Foundation’s inaugural $5,000 Her Music Awards
Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday October 30th, 2019
Mid-career, female-identifying Canadian music creators are invited to apply now for the inaugural Her Music Awards, a new program that provides such songwriters/composers with recognition, and a $5,000 award. The SOCAN Foundation, part of the SOCAN Group of companies, recently launched the awards, in partnership with RE:SOUND.
“The SOCAN Foundation is thrilled to announce another initiative celebrating incredible Canadian talent,” said Charlie Wall-Andrews, Executive Director of SOCAN Foundation. “This program is designed to recognize artistic excellence demonstrated by female-identifying creators of music in Canada, with the expectation that the accolade will help to build momentum in their career trajectory.”
“RE:SOUND is committed to building a thriving, sustainable and diverse music industry in Canada. As an organization, we have a deep commitment to diversity – from our staff to our Board of Directors – so we are proud to support female-identifying creators by sponsoring the SOCAN Foundation’s inaugural Her Music Awards,” said Ian MacKay, President, RE:SOUND.
Applications to the Her Music Awards are being accepted until Nov. 28, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. EST. To apply, and for more information (including eligibility), click here.
Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard
ADISQ 2019: Roxane Bruneau wins Song of the Year
Story by Eric Parazelli | Tuesday October 29th, 2019
The winner of the ADISQ Song of the Year Félix Award is decided a joint vote from the public and an industry jury, and this year it went to Roxane Bruneau, for her song Des p’tits bouts de toi during the Sunday night gala on Oct. 27, 2019. Bruneau’s career has been marked by the relentless, dedicated support of her fans, whom she affectionately calls her “cocos.” In the gala press room, she talked with SOCAN about this special relationship which, by her own admission, is the principal reason for her success.